


Per Aspera Ad Astra

by GhostFan77



Series: Crazy Little Thing Called Love [1]
Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Declarations Of Love, Drama, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Happy Ending, Love, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Love at First Sight, Multi, Oral Sex, Roleplay, Sex, Shower Sex, Threesome - F/M/M, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-07-10 22:22:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15958784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostFan77/pseuds/GhostFan77
Summary: Sparks flew when they first met, but he was in no position to pursue anything. A friendship develops and love grows over the years, despite obstacles. When will their time come?





	1. The Elephant in the Room

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Ghost fan-fiction, although I kind of feel like a fan-fiction OG as I used to write NKOTB fan-fiction for my friends in the late 80's/early 90's...LOL! This is very dialog-heavy, but I think it's pretty easy to follow. Also, while this is a work of fiction, plenty of it is based IRL (including tours, dates, and venues). Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Please forgive the titles. I can write, but I'm horrible at naming chapters and such! Thanks for reading!

“Tell me the story of how we met,” he said. 

I thought he had fallen asleep. His eyes had been closed for a bit, and he hadn’t stirred. It was late; a glance over his shoulder confirmed it was after three in the morning. 

“You know how me met, T. You were there, after all.” 

“Yeah, but I like how you tell it.” 

I sighed and looked into his green eyes. He gave me a sleepy smirk. 

“You sure you don’t want to get some sleep?” 

He shook his head as much as he could given his current position, laying on his side facing me, the right side of his head nestled in a plush hotel pillow. I tried but failed to stifle a yawn as I attempted to return his smirk. 

“Come on, T…let’s get some sleep. You must be exhausted.” 

How could he not be? He had performed earlier that night, and I had been there in the audience, watching and supporting one of my dearest friends and his nameless ghouls. 

“You know we don’t get to see each other often enough. The time we DO get to see each other, I don’t want to spend it sleeping.” 

“Fair enough,” I conceded. “Where do you want me to start?”

“The beginning.”

“That Special was a handsome motherfucker, I’ll tell you…” I told him with a smile and a wink, to which he laughed. 

“I thought Papa III was your favorite…?”

“Oh, he was, he was! I’m still pissed at you for killing him off. Bastard.” Another wink and smile. Another laugh from him. How we loved to give each other a hard time. How we loved to make each other laugh. 

We laid there for awhile, just looking at each other. Him into my blue eyes, me into his eyes of green. He looked away long enough to locate my hand, which he reached out for and took into his own hand. He then brought it to his mouth and gently kissed it. 

“T…”

We had been friends for years, and despite seeing each other infrequently due his touring and living on the other side of the pond, we had always been close and had seen each other through so many things. The growing pains of becoming famous. Me dating a friend and bandmate of his. Deaths of family members. Deaths of friends. The infamous lawsuit. His separation and subsequent divorce from his wife. The demise of my relationship with the aforementioned friend and bandmate; make that former friend and former bandmate, I noted to myself. I frowned slightly at the thought, and he took notice.

“What was that about, B?”

“Nothing. My mind was just wandering again.” 

He smirked. “You should keep that thing on a leash.” 

I giggled. “You’re telling me…! You try living inside my head for awhile!”

Another smirk. He’s killing me with those eyes and that smirk. Fuck. Why does he have to be so attractive? 

“I’d love to get inside that mind of yours. The things that must go through it…”

We both laugh. 

“So, are you going to tell me what that frown was all about?”

I really didn’t want to mention his name, so I hesitated before saying that it wasn’t important. 

He rolls his eyes. “Were you thinking about him?” 

I scrunched my nose and winced a bit, but didn’t reply.

“Have you talked to him?”

I shake my head slightly. “No. Things didn’t really end on good terms. He kind-of burned that bridge.” 

After he had outted the band, we had had a falling out. More like he had a falling out with me. He had assumed that as my boyfriend, I would automatically take his side. I didn’t want to take sides. How do you take sides when your boyfriend is on one side, and one of your favorite people is on the other side? I hadn’t been around since the very beginning, so I didn’t know who was in the right or who was in the wrong. I had heard both sides of the story; one thing was certain: it was a shitty situation they found themselves in. But I still tried to be diplomatic. T understood. The boyfriend did not. 

“I’m sorry things ended like they did. I didn’t really like that you were in a relationship with him in the first place, but I wasn’t really in a position where I could do anything about it at the time, though I wish I had been…”

Boom. The elephant that’s always been in the room with us. Everybody had always assumed we were more than friends, even though the line had never been crossed. Well, at least not while we were sober, anyway. We had shared a few drunken kisses over the years, but had been otherwise successful at bottling up any feelings we had for each other or denying them outright. He was single now, as was I, but I wanted to give him time in the wake of his divorce to sow his demonic oats and enjoy the perks of being famous. Women threw themselves at him, and it was no wonder why. The man was immensely talented, and insanely hot. 

“He’s crazy, you know? To let you slip away like that.” 

I shrug slightly. “Nothing I can do about it. He just didn’t understand.”

He gave a knowing nod. “I would’ve understood if you took his side. I wouldn’t have liked it, but I would’ve understood. And I wouldn’t have faulted you for it.” 

“We don’t need to talk about it, T. Water under the bridge.” 

“Fucking Martin. Ugh!” 

I reach out and rub his shoulder. “It’s okay. Don’t get all worked up over it.” Time to change the subject. “Didn’t you want to hear about how we met…?” 

“…”

I raise my eyebrows and smile as sweetly as I could manage given how it was partially obscured by the pillow I was resting my head on. 

“Yeah, yeah, I did. I do, I mean. Please?”

“So, back in April of 2011, I was visiting my friends in the Netherlands, and they brought me to a concert in Tilburg.” 

“What was the name of the venue, again?”

“The Poppodium, or something like that.”

“That’s right. We’ve performed there a few times. They should rename it the Pope-odium!” 

I laugh. “Right? Or the Anti-Pope-odium…” 

“Yes! Love it!” 

“Anyway, I wasn’t familiar with any of the bands performing that night. I had no clue what to expect. I always kept my ear open for cool acts though, wherever I went, because I was working for that radio station at the time. I did a little bit of everything for them. On-air stuff when needed. Booking interviews. Sometimes conducting interviews. Promotions. Marketing. Website stuff. You name it.”

“Pretty sweet gig…” 

“Yeah, it was at the time.”

“Do you miss it?”

“Sometimes, but onto bigger and better things, right?” 

He smiled. So did I. 

“Anyway, a few bands in, these guys walk onstage. Dressed in these hooded black cloak-y robe things with black masks covering their faces. I’m thinking, who the hell are these guys? What in the hell are these guys?”

He silently laughs. 

“And then the lead singer walks onstage, and he looks like a fucking demonic pope or something. Like hell had opened up and spit this guy and his band out! I mean, what in the actual fuck, right?”

An audible laugh this time. I smile at the memory and at his appreciative laugh of my exaggerated description of my first impressions of his band. He loved this story, and would make me tell it whenever he had the opportunity. His ex-wife had heard it. His kids had heard an edited version, minus all the swearing. Incoming ghouls had heard it as the lineup changed over the years. 

“And then the music starts, and it was not what I was expecting. NOT. WHAT. I. WAS. EXPECTING. AT. ALL.” 

“No…?”

“No! I mean, they were amazing. You guys were fucking amazing. Such a great sound. Like nothing I had ever heard before. ‘Ritual’ absolutely blew my mind. So, immediately after your set, I made a beeline for the backstage area. I had been able to pull a few strings in advance so I’d be able to get backstage if there were any acts that I was interested in. I mean, we might’ve been in Europe at the time, but who knows? Maybe eventually one of these bands would find its way across the pond?” 

He smirks and nods. “True. That was good thinking.” 

“Thank you! I’d like to think so…!”

We both laugh. 

“So, I told my contact back there that I wanted to talk to somebody from the band. And, you know, it’s so great that everybody over there speaks English, because my Dutch is HORRIBLE!”

He laughs again. 

“How’s your Swedish?”

My turn to laugh. “Nonexistent, thank you! You’d think you would’ve taught me some by now…!” 

Or Martin, I thought. Fucking Martin. But I chose not to bring up his name again. 

Another laugh.

“Oh, you want to learn some Swedish, eh? I’ll teach you all the…”

I interrupted him with, “And not just all the dirty words, Mr. Forge!” 

We both crack up. Once the laughter had subsided, I went off on a tangent. Rather, more of a tangent than I was already on.

“You know, one of the things I love about Ghost is the unexpected Latin lessons I get from your songs, T.” 

He smiles. “Yeah?”

I nod. “Yeah. It’s like, I get to listen to some fucking awesome tunes, and get a bit of a Latin lesson in the process, without having to sit in a goddamn church!” 

He laughs and then starts softly singing “Per Aspera Ad Inferi” to me, and I couldn’t help but smile. One of my favorite Ghost songs. My own little private concert. I could listen to that voice forever and not get sick of listening to him. I feel my mind wandering off again, thinking about how I would get sneak previews of their new albums before they were released, how he’d play an advance copy of their newest CD for me, and he’d sing along as the CD played. Oh, how I laughed the first time I heard “Jigolo Har Megiddo”! 

“Oh, so who is it that’s coming “richly endowed”, T???” I had grilled him as I laughed. “Yourself or Papa?” 

“Well, you know that Papa is pretty self-assured and confident in himself, so…” 

“Such an old pervert…!” 

“Me or him?” 

We looked at each other, and absolutely lost it. That’s how it always was with us, since the very beginning. We had hit it off the first time we spoke, and that set the tone for our friendship. Martin never understood it. Neither did T’s then-wife. She and I had been on good terms and became friends in our own right, but she had admitted to me on a few occasions over a little too much wino that she didn’t understand my friendship with her husband, and even expressed concern that we were too close, that she was worried friendship would eventually not be enough for us. I had reassured her, as I had reassured Martin, that nothing was there beyond a good friendship, but she could only shake her head and furrow her eyebrows. 

“It’s like you and Tobias are the only ones that don’t see what everybody else can…” 

What could I say to counter that? Especially when Martin had expressed something similar? So, more wine was poured, and the subject was changed. I’d ask about the twins. She’d ask about my life on the other side of the pond. And we would both try to avoid talking about him for the rest of our time together. It wouldn’t help when he’d walk in the room and come over and wrap his arms around me from behind before acknowledging her, his own wife, completely undermining any assurances I had made to her earlier in our conversation. He’d hear all about it, too, the next time we had some one-on-one time together. 

“We need to talk, Tobias.” 

He sighed deeply. “You only call me “Tobias” when it’s something that isn’t good. What is it?”

“You can’t wrap your arms around me like that in front of her. She’s your wife, and she already thinks something is going on between us.” 

“How many times do I need to tell her…?”

“It’s not enough, T. Sometimes actions speak louder than words. When you do things like that, it undermines what we’re both trying to tell her, that nothing is going on.” 

He’d reluctantly promise to be more considerate of that in the future, but I can’t even tell you how many times we had that conversation. Too many times. 

“Where did your mind go this time, B…?” 

And with that, I was brought back to the present time: he and I in the bed of his hotel room. Both of us on our sides, facing each other. 

His eyes probed mine for an answer, but I didn’t reply. Another topic I didn’t want to bring up. 

He reached out and gently ran his fingers across my cheek. 

I closed my eyes at the feeling of his fingers touching me. I hated to admit to myself how much I enjoyed it, and how badly I wanted more. How there had been feelings there for so many years. How we had confessed our love for each other one night a couple of years ago after we both had wayyyyyyyyy too much to drink. How his lips felt against mine. How our skin felt against each other as we flirted with giving into temptation. How we came to our senses before crossing a line that would mean betraying the ones we loved. How we both carried on the next day and the following days like normal. Like nothing had ever happened. Completely swept under the rug, never to be mentioned.  
He licked his lips and slowly moved towards me, hesitating for a moment as if he was considering the consequences of his upcoming actions, but then deciding to continue. We both close our eyes as his lips brush against mine. His hand on the side of my face, his forehead against mine. Our bodies now touching each other. 

I took a breath, realizing that I had forgotten to breathe. “Tobias…”

He exhales, and gives his head the slightest shake. “Do you ever think about that night in Chicago…?” 

The night that had been swept under the rug, never to be mentioned. Until now. 

“Because I think about it all the time. All the damn time…”

He opens his eyes. Mine were already open. He runs his thumb over my lips, not expecting a reply, because the answer was in my eyes and etched on my face. 

“And I meant every word I said. And I have no doubt that you meant every word as well.” 

Our lips met again, and the passion escalated from there. Mouths opened. Our tongues meeting and entwining. Gentle moans from each of us as our hands wandered over each other’s bodies. Somewhere in the sequence, I ended up on my back, he on top of me. One of his hands slid under my shirt and cupped one of my breasts as we continued to kiss, softly kneading it. My hands slid down his body, one coming to rest on his back, the other on his ass. And the thought occurred to me: I’m touching Tobias Forge’s ass. We might have known each other for years. We might have been friends that entire time. But I was touching Tobias Forge’s ass. And in that moment, I was a total fangirl. The thought made me smirk into the kiss we were currently sharing. And he noticed. 

“What are you smiling about…?” 

I giggled into his mouth. He pushed himself up a bit and smirked. 

“This. It’s…uh…kind-of surreal. I’m touching Tobias Forge’s ass…!”

He laughed. “Are you pretending I’m somebody else…?”

“What? No…don’t be silly!”

“Not even Papa III?” 

“…”

I contemplated that for a second, and then I raised an eyebrow.

“Way to put a thought in my head, T…” Inception-level shit, I thought to myself, except without Leonardo DiCaprio. 

He smirks and a devious look enters his eyes. “That could be arranged, you know…”

“Like, how? Like, he rises from his grave or something?”

We both laugh at the thought. Straight out of some horror/porno movie that we’ve never seen, but perhaps exists. We’d have to Google it sometime…  
Although we weren’t done laughing yet, he dips his head for another kiss. He ends up kissing my teeth instead. And that just made me laugh harder. A full body laugh. He could feel it under him, and it put an idea in his head. 

“Remind me to make you laugh when I finally get to fuck you. I’m sure it would provide quite the pleasant vibration…”

My eyebrows rose. My mouth went into an “O” shape. My cheeks turned bright red. 

“Tobias! I can’t believe you just said that…!” 

We both laughed. Oh my goodness. This guy is going to be the death of me. 

“What? It’s going to happen. Not tonight, but it’s going to happen. There’s no reason for us to deny what we both want. I’m not getting back together with…her. You’re not getting back together with…him.”

True enough. His wife was out of the picture, except for the whole co-parenting thing, of course. They were on decent enough terms for the sake of the kids, something I hoped wouldn’t change once she found out about us. Fuck. I suddenly thought that I was the worst possible person for him to end up in a relationship with after the demise of his marriage. 

And of course, Martin was also out of the picture. He didn’t just burn that bridge: he torched that motherfucker. 

T got serious for a second. He searched for the right words, deciding on what he wanted to say after a few moments. “I don’t know if you realize this or not, but had I not already been married when you and I met, I would’ve asked you out right away.” 

“You mean, Special would’ve asked me out…?”


	2. The American Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback to how it all started.

He laughs at the memory. That fateful night in Tilburg, after I had told my contact that I wanted to talk to somebody from the band, he had told me to wait while he went to quickly arrange something for me. He caught Papa I as he was heading into his dressing room, telling him that somebody wanted to interview him, explaining who I was so he’d know it was legit, that I wasn’t just some groupie. He agreed to it, but wanted to change first. He told my contact to send me to his dressing room in five minutes. Papa retreated to his dressing room and shed his dark pope gear while my contact relayed the plan to me. In the meantime, there was a knock at the door of Papa’s dressing room. 

Fuck, he thought. She’s early! 

“Um, who is it…?”

A familiar voice sounded from the other side of the door. “It’s Mar…I mean, it’s Omega.” 

Ha. Good catch. The mostly-undressed Papa springs to the door, letting Martin in. Perfect timing!

“I need your clothes. Quick. I have some American girl coming in here for an interview.” 

The plan was to give interviews as one of the Nameless Ghouls, rather than as himself or as Papa Emeritus. Only a few local interviews had been given thus far, and he always borrowed outfits from his bandmates. He noted to himself that he should get a spare costume for himself sometime in the near future. 

“What am I supposed to wear back to the other dressing room…?” Martin asked. 

Papa scoffed at him. “You’re not naked under that thing, are you?” 

Martin remembered that no, he wasn’t. He had on a dark t-shirt and shorts under his vestments. He removed his ghoul gear, giving everything to Papa, helping him get suited up and situated before his guest arrived. 

“I wonder what an American girl is doing here…?” 

Tobias shrugs under the layers of black. “Not sure, but I’ll find out. Talk to you later, okay?” 

Martin nods, then leaves the room. A minute later, there was another knock on the door, and he was sure that it was the American girl. He rubs his hands together, and walks to the door. He exhales as he reaches for the doorknob, turning it, and then opening the door. And he sees the American girl. Strawberry-blonde hair down past her shoulders, with bright blue eyes behind her glasses, light freckles across her nose and cheeks. A few inches shorter than himself with curves for days that he found himself wanting to explore. He has a pang of guilt as he remembers that he’s married. Fuck. 

And then the American girl smiles, putting out her hand as she introduces herself. He wasn’t expecting her to be this…this…beautiful. And he was taken aback by her smile, how it notched up her attractiveness to the nth degree. Had he responded to her introduction yet? Shit. No, he hadn’t. 

“It’s…uh, very nice to meet you…” he says as he takes her hand in his. 

She notices his green eyes behind the mask, and their eyes lock. He backs into the dressing room, still holding her hand. The door shuts behind her, and they just stand there, looking at each other, her hand still in his. 

“So…what should I call you…?” he hears her say. Ugh, that voice. Such a sweet voice! 

“Oh! Sorry…I’m one of the Nameless Ghouls, but you can just call me ‘Special’.” 

“That doesn’t entirely make you…nameless…now does it?” Punctuated with a smirk and a wink. 

She can tell he’s smiling by the way his eyes narrow behind his mask, and she returns the smile. Although she’s pretty sure she’s been smiling the whole time, since he first opened the door. And he was still holding her hand. 

He laughs, and suddenly becomes conscious of the fact that her hand is still in his. “Oh, forgive me…I suppose I should give you your hand back, shouldn’t I?” 

She giggles. “Well, maybe…but I do have another, so at least there’s that…!” 

That smile. That laugh. How the fuck was he going to make it through this interview? 

Eventually, the awkwardness subsided, and they fell into a great rapport. He told her about the band, how they were hoping to make it to America within the next year or so.  
Nothing officially planned, but touring in America to support their debut album was definitely part of the bigger plan. She told him about herself, her job, her life, how much she loved music, and how Ghost was unlike anything she had ever seen or heard, how impressed she was. Literal music to his ears, he thought. She gave him her business card, and he promised to reach out to her to keep her in the loop on their tour plans. Their conversation continued, and they lost track of time. Neither seemed to want it to end. He spoke of his Swedish heritage, and she spoke of her own Scandinavian heritage; a mixture of Swedish and Norwegian, she told him. He thought to himself that he had never felt this at ease with somebody, and he cursed the fact that he was married to somebody he loved, but never felt this connected to. Add to the fact that she lived a few thousand miles away, somewhere in the central/north region of America, a state bordering Canada, she had mentioned. He really wanted to continue this conversation over a drink, but he didn’t want to mislead her. Although he really wanted to touch her, and kiss her, and just be close to her in general. There was something there. There was definitely something there. 

He worked up the courage to ask about that drink. 

“I’d love to…but I just remembered that I have a couple of friends waiting out there for me…!” She embarrassedly bit her bottom lip. In that moment, he so badly wanted to bite her lip as well. 

“That’s okay…they can join us. I don’t mind. I hope they enjoyed the show as well…?” 

She nodded emphatically. “I didn’t get to talk to them much before I came back here, but they definitely enjoyed it, Special!” 

“So, about that drink…?” 

She contemplated it for a moment, and nodded again. “Sure, I’d like that. Are you going to go out there like that…?” 

He laughs, remembering that he was dressed as a Nameless Ghoul, and that she had no idea what he looked like behind his mask. 

“No…I suppose I should change. How about you go out to your friends, let me change into my street clothes, and then I’ll find you and your friends by the bar…?” 

She winks at him and smiles. “Alright, it’s a deal.” 

They both stand up, walking towards the door. 

She opens the door, and then turns around to face him. “See you in a few minutes then…?”

He smiles behind his mask, and nods. “Definitely!” 

She returns the smile, then walks away to find her friends. The door closes, and he goes about changing out of his Ghost gear and into his Tobias gear. He hadn’t really planned on unveiling himself to anybody tonight, or at all, really. He enjoyed the anonymity the costumes allowed, and hoped that it would continue that way. There was apprehension that their fanbase would expand and people would catch on to their identities, but that was more of a future concern than anything. For tonight, he was going to have a drink with the pretty American girl…and her friends. And he would somehow need to work it into the conversation that he was married with a couple of young kids at home in Sweden. He hoped it wouldn’t scare her away. There was so much potential there for something. 

If he was being honest with himself, he couldn’t see him spending his entire life with his wife. He loved her, and she was incredibly supportive of his musical aspirations, and had encouraged him to quit the job he held prior to going all-in with this Ghost venture. But even with all the love, and the kids, there always seemed to be something missing. And he felt like he might have discovered what it was; now he didn’t want to let it slip through his fingers. Best case scenario, they keep in touch, become friends, and pursue something in the future if/when his marriage comes to an end. Worst case scenario, she throws a drink in his face after he tells her that he’s married, and she walks away, never to be seen or heard from again. 

He sighs under his breath. “Carpe diem.” 

He gives himself a look in the mirror, and sees his normal self looking back at him. He realizes that he’s still dressed in all black: black jeans, black t-shirt, black leather jacket. He laughs to himself, and wonders if she’ll notice? He doesn’t know much about her, but it just seems like something she’d comment on. He smiles at the thought, and turns to walk towards the door. He opens the door, and goes to the next dressing room over. He has a quick conversation with Martin, telling him that he was going to have a drink with the American girl, and then asked him to grab his gear from the other dressing room, to which Martin agreed. 

Tobias then set out for the bar area of the venue to find the American girl and her friends. Her apparently Dutch friends, he noted to himself. He would have to ask about that.  
He reaches the bar, and he sees them sitting at a table in a quiet corner, what would’ve been the perfect location had it just been the two of them. Fuck, he thought to himself. I really need to stop thinking about her like this! 

He approaches the table, and touches her shoulder. She looks up, narrows her eyes, seeking recognition, and finding it in his eyes. “Special…?” 

He smiles and nods.

She and her friends stand up, and her friends offered their hands for a proper introduction. “Hi, I’m Tobias…” She introduces her friends, hands are shook, and then everybody sits down. 

She looks him over, and smirks. “I’m sensing that you have a pretty colorful wardrobe…?” 

He had to laugh. “I was wondering if you’d notice!” 

She rolls her eyes with a giggle. “I’m very perceptive like that.” Smile. Wink. He’s dead. 

Her friends waste no time in beating around the bush, having her best interests at heart. They are a married couple, of which the wife has known the American girl since the mid-90’s, when she went to America to live with the American girl and her family as an exchange student. Very interesting, he thought, and wondered if her family had hosted any other exchange students. He would save that for a future conversation, if there was to be a future conversation beyond this one. 

“So Tobias,” the wife began. “Are you married, or…?” 

Ah, the Dutch directness. Legendary. Time to rip off the Band-Aid and get this over with. 

“Yeah, been married for a few years now, actually.” 

He glances at the American girl, looking for a reaction, and maybe getting an almost imperceptible raise of her left eyebrow. He’s certain there was a slight movement. And she was the next to speak. 

“Do you have any kids?” 

He nods and takes a swig of the beer in front of him. They had seen to it that a drink was awaiting his arrival. Very thoughtful of them, he thought, although it was probably her. Very thoughtful of her, he corrected himself. 

“Yeah, twins. A boy and a girl.” 

The American girl smiled. “Oh, that’s so cool! My mom is actually a twin. Identical.” 

The Dutch female friend nods. The Dutch male still hasn’t really said anything. Seems like the silent, stoic type, he thought. 

“Wow! Did they dress alike…?” 

The American girl nods with another smile. “They always dressed alike, all through school. Same hair. Same glasses. Very few people could tell them apart. They’d even go to each others’ classes.” 

“And they got away with it?” he questioned.

“Yep! And their teachers were none the wiser.” 

Well, that couldn’t have gone any better. No drink to the face. Phew. The conversation continued, and it was highly enjoyable. The Dutch male eventually joined in, and while he was still relatively quiet, he still made some valuable contributions to the conversation, usually resulting in everybody cracking up. What a great evening, Tobias thought. He lost track of time, not that he had anywhere to be. Not that he expected his bandmates to wait for him. Rather, he would catch up to them at their nearby hotel once his evening with the American girl and her Dutch friends came to an end. He remembered that he had told Martin where he would be, so at least somebody knew where he would be. And just as he thought that to himself, he heard a familiar voice. 

“I thought I might still find you out here…” 

It was Martin. Fucking Martin. That’s right, Tobias remembered: he was the one who introduced the American girl to Martin. How was he to know that they would eventually go on to date for a few years? Fuck. The wooing pretty much started that very night. And he had a front row seat to it. 

He already had a drink in his hand. He grabbed a chair from another table, and dared to sit between Tobias and the American girl. 

Fucking Martin. 

He was tall and charming with blue eyes and broad shoulders, if you liked that sort of thing. And Tobias conceded that he had nice hair too. He silently hoped that she didn’t like Martin’s type. Regardless, Martin seemed determined to make her like his type, whether she did or not initially. Fucking hell, Martin and his charm. Tobias worried to himself that the night would end with the American girl going back to the hotel with Martin and spending the night with him, a new worst-case scenario. 

But fortunately, that didn’t happen. Not that Martin didn’t try. The American girl was flattered, but not completely indefensible to his charm. And Tobias hoped to himself that maybe it was also because, despite the fact that he was married, she was still interested in him. But that was almost too much to hope for. He couldn’t act upon anything anyway. He’d never be able to deal with the guilt. 

The evening ended, and Martin scored her number before he and Tobias parted ways with the American girl and her friends. But Tobias remembered that he also had her number. And her email address. And he was going to make sure to reach out to her, for more than just touring information. For more than just networking. Martin had already drifted away, as had her friends, but Tobias and the American girl lingered at the table, saying their final good-byes for the night. 

“This was a lot of fun, Tobias. Glad we got to do this.” 

He smiled. “Yeah, me too. Sorry Martin kind-of hijacked the night.”

She giggles a bit. “It’s alright. He seems harmless enough.”

“He’s a good guy. He means well.”

Fucking hell, Tobias, he thought to himself. Why did you talk him up like that? Why not just present the American girl to Martin on a silver platter? He cringed at the time, and again in his recollection of the evening. 

“Alright, I’ll take your word for it, T.” The first time she called him “T”. And it came with a smile and a wink. She was going to be the death of him, for sure. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was m-“

She shook her head, and interrupted him. “No, you don’t have anything to apologize for. It didn’t come up when we were in your dressing room. So, just…don’t. It’s not necessary.” 

“I hope we can at least be friends though…” he cautiously ventured. 

She smiled and narrowed her eyes in contemplation. “I think we’re already well on our way!” 

She reached out for a hug, which he was more than happy to accept and reciprocate. And then she kissed the corner of his mouth. How he wished it would’ve been a full-on kiss. He knows it would’ve been wrong, but he couldn’t help but wish for it anyway. The heart wants what it wants. 

“You’d better text me, or email me, or something, Tobias,” she said as she started to step towards her Dutch friends, who were very patiently waiting for her. 

“I will, I promise!” 

She smiled and blew him a kiss as she walked away. He took in the sight of her joining her friends, and tossing one final look at him over her shoulder as they left the bar, still with a smile. 

He remembered that he didn’t waste any time in keeping his promise to her. They started emailing each other on a regular basis, and the emails eventually turned to texts, which eventually turned to a mixture of calls and texts. And they quickly became favorites in each others’ lives. He’d make sure to get her hooked up with show tickets when he was performing anywhere near where she lived, and even arranged a trip to Sweden when the band wasn’t touring so she could visit his home country, and meet his wife and kids.

That was the story of them, and now she was exactly where he wanted her to be since the first moment he laid eyes on her. And truth be told, it was exactly where she had wanted to be as well.


	3. One for you, one for me. Two for you, Two for me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several years in the making and with nobody and nothing standing in their way, the fun finally begins.

I could tell by the look in his eyes that his mind had wandered off somewhere, so I brought him back to me with a kiss to the corner of his mouth, something I remembered doing long ago. 

He closes his eyes, smirks, and hums in approval.

“I was just thinking about the first time you did that to me…” 

“Oh yeah…?” I playfully arch an eyebrow at him. 

“Mmmm-hmmm. That night at the bar, right before you left.” 

I put my hands on each side of his face, and pulled him in for a kiss. A real kiss this time. He melted into me, and I knew this could be a really late night if we kept it up. I, however, really wanted to get some sleep, and I had no idea how he was even still awake. As if on cue, he yawned into my mouth while we were still kissing. I giggled. He grimaced a bit, then kissed my nose before flopping back over to his side of the bed. 

“My day is finally catching up to me.” 

“I have no idea how you’re still awake, T.” 

“A rush of adrenaline. Maybe even a rush of hormones…?” 

We both laughed. 

“Alright, let’s get some sleep.” 

I rolled over to my side, with my back facing him, so I could turn off the light. Before I could move, he rolls into me, the big spoon to my little spoon. He drapes his free arm over me, and nestles his chin into my neck. 

And then softly, “I love you.” 

My heart almost burst. I brought his hand to my lips for a kiss. 

“I love you too, T.” 

It felt so good to finally be able to say it. And we were both sober. 

I could feel him smile, and then his face relaxed as sleep overtook him. It wasn’t long before I drifted off as well. 

I woke up late that morning, and he wasn’t in bed with me. I could, however, hear the shower running, so I knew exactly where to find him. I got up, and undressed myself on the way to the bathroom. The door was open, and I could see him in the spacious walk-in shower, his back to me, standing under the stream of water. I took in the sight before taking another step: a lean muscular build, with an ass that I couldn’t wait to grab again. And those thighs. Much ado had been made about his thighs since he had taken to wearing those tight pants, first as Papa III, and then as Cardinal Copia. I stifle a giggle as I wonder how he comes up with these things, these characters, the storyline, all of it, and I wondered what was next. But back to his thighs. Absolutely delicious. How did that man end up with those thighs? I felt a stir deep inside of me, and it compelled me to continue on my way to the shower. I quietly joined him, pressing my breasts against his back, and wrapping my arms around him, my hands coming to a rest on his stomach. 

He hummed in approval. “Good morning…” 

“Good morning yourself, handsome…” Punctuated with a lingering kiss on his back. 

He slowly turned around to face me, and with a glance downward, I could already see that he was already well on his way to getting hard. It was an impressive sight to behold, and I couldn’t help but reach out and give it an admiring stroke; a stroke of encouragement, you could say. He closes his eyes and sighs, his head falling back slightly. 

I carefully dropped to my knees and wrapped one of my hands around his shaft. I brought my lips to the head for a kiss as I looked up to him, only to see him looking down at me with wide eyes. I smirk, and then teasingly lick the spot I had just kissed. Before he could even react, I took him in my mouth in a swift motion, pursing my lips around his shaft as 

I slowly pulled my head back, releasing him from my mouth with a “pop”. 

“Fuck…” was all he could say, along with a moan. 

I took his shaft back in my hand, and licked the underside, balls to head, licking a bit of pre-cum that had oozed its way out of his slit. And without any mercy, I took him in my mouth again, mostly hands-free, with only a couple of fingers lightly holding the base of his cock. I bobbed on his cock for awhile at a pretty good pace, and I could tell that he was very much enjoying himself. Not wanting to neglect his balls, I extricated my mouth from his cock, and gently took one of his balls in my mouth while I stroked his shaft, all of which elicited moans of approval from the gorgeous man in front of me. I alternated balls for a bit before moving back to his cock, resuming my previous bobbing pace. He pulled back after awhile, and pulled me up so I was standing in front of him. 

He lets out a winded laugh. “Keep that up, and I’ll cum in that pretty mouth of yours…”

“Is that a threat, or a promise…?” 

There was a bit of a hesitation, and then an exhaled “fuck”, before he kissed me hard. There was so much passion and urgency behind it; it was like, instead of needing air, all he needed was me, and my kiss. And then he broke away, earning a slight whimper from me. He turns me around, bends me over, bracing my hands under his against the shower wall. He moves one of his hands so he can guide his cock, teasing it between my lips, allowing the head to rub against my clit.

I moaned. “Holy fuck, T…just do it…”

He tried playing coy. “Do what, my love?” 

I looked at him over my shoulder, and I could see his eyes were full of lust. I had no doubt mine were the same.

“Fuck. Me. Now.” Each word carefully and purposely punctuated. 

And with that, it was his turn to show no mercy. It was a good thing I was so turned on, already more than sufficiently lubricated to handle him. His cock quickly found my entrance, and he slammed into me. I moaned so loudly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the entire hotel could’ve heard me. He felt delectable inside of me. Fuck. 

He paused for a moment to let me adjust to his size, and also for him to adjust to the tightness around his cock. His turn to moan.

“H-have you always been this fucking tight, B?”

I closed my eyes and nodded. I could already feel an orgasm building, and he had only just put his cock in me. 

“Holy fuck. Just…holy fuck. I’m so glad I didn’t know about this…” 

He didn’t need to finish his thought. He slowly slid his cock out, before thrusting it in all over again, making me whimper in need. He grabbed my hips, and gave me everything I needed, and then some. It didn’t take much until my pussy walls contracted in orgasmic delight around his cock, which threw him over the edge faster than he was expecting. I could feel his hot cum inside of me, a sinfully delightful sensation. I had wanted that so bad, and for so long. 

With him still inside of me, he wraps his arms around me, pulling me upright against him, tweaking my nipples with his fingers, kissing my neck. After a bit, I realized something: he was still hard. Once we had both caught our breaths enough, he started slowly sliding in and out of me. 

“You didn’t think I was done with you yet, did you…?”

I could only moan in response, and his lips found my neck again. 

Round two was more on the sensual side, definitely not as frenetic as the first. His hands cupped my breasts the entire time, his mouth alternating between my neck, earlobe, and jawline. It was so fucking hot, and I almost had to pinch myself to make sure we were really there, that it wasn’t all just a dream. After another orgasm for each of us, we cleaned up, turned the water off, and dried off with the towels that were on the nearby counter. 

We left the bathroom and crawled back into bed. He was on his back with an arm around me, while I was on my side with a leg draped over his. My free hand caressed the soft but minimal hairs on his pale chest. We laid there in a comfortable silence for I don’t even know how long. After awhile, he gently plants a kiss on my forehead. 

“I suppose we should chat,” he said softly. 

“Yeah…I think that would be in order, considering…” I made a general gesture towards us, not needing to continue my sentence. 

“So…”

I sat up and changed my position so I could face him. He also sat up, his back against the bed’s headboard. He ran a hand through his dark still-wet hair, exhaling before he said anything else. 

“Alright…if you don’t have any objections, I propose that effective immediately, we are together. No fucking around. No wasting any more time.” 

I nodded. “I do not have any objections to that.” 

“Good. I didn’t think you would.” He smirks, and then continues. “But I wanted to make sure. Next order of business: logistics.”

“Yeah, there are definitely things to figure out there, T.” 

“I don’t want to ask you to uproot your life for me. I know that maintaining a sense of independence is important to you, so I want you to be able to have that. But at the same time, I want us to spend more time together than we’ve been able to. Maybe that means you spending some time on the road with me, even spending time with me back home once the tour ends. I don’t know what that would look like with your job, if it’s doable, but I hope we can work something out.” 

Having a traditional 9-to-5 job with limited vacation time would definitely pose a challenge, but I knew I’d be able to bring my work laptop on the road with me. Luckily, my job was relatively portable, even if I generally spent most of the time in the office. I would definitely need to speak with my manager, but I was confident he would not only allow it, but encourage it. He had known about my previous relationship with Martin and my friendship with T, and I thought to myself that he was going to razz me about being a fucking Ghost groupie. My manager and I had a great relationship, and I considered myself very fortunate for that, but didn’t want to take advantage of it at the same time. 

“I’ll talk to my manager, see what we can work out.”

He nods, then furrows his brows in contemplation. “Thinking further down the road, we’ll need to really figure things out, come to a more permanent solution. But that can wait for another day. Please know though, that I don’t see any end in sight for us, which is why I’m already thinking about the long term. I hope that doesn’t scare you.” 

I smirk as I shake my head. “No…I’m in it for the long haul. I didn’t keep you around for all this time just to let you get away…”

He laughs, and so do I. 

“Yeah, same here. Glad we’re on the same page.” 

“Me too, T.” 

He sighs. “I wish we could’ve done this years ago. Then we’d already have been together, enjoying our own version of ‘happily ever after’.” 

It was a long road to get here, to be sure, full of detours along the way. But we were finally there. Finally on the verge of getting to make it a reality. 

I nodded knowingly. “Yeah, I know. But that would’ve meant hurting your family, and Martin. It wouldn’t have been right.” 

“Even so, I wish we could’ve just ripped that Band-Aid off and started our lives together. Like, right away. It took every fiber of my being to not run after you when you left the bar that night with your friends.” 

I lean in for a kiss; he meets me halfway as our lips meet. He puts his forehead against mine, and continues.

“I would’ve left her. You never would’ve dated Martin. We just would’ve been…together.” 

“That wasn’t the path we were meant to take, T. Things unfolded the way they were intended to.” 

I had always been of the thought that everything happened for a reason, that if I was patient and reflective, I would be able to make sense of it all. My philosophy made me deeply introspective, and I was also able to provide friends with a different perspective on occurrences in their own lives. This had to happen in order for that to happen. A natural sequence. 

He knew this about me. Even after things had ended poorly with Martin, I held steadfast to my belief that it was all part of a bigger picture that would eventually take shape, even though I couldn’t yet see it at the time. And I refused to demonize the former ghoul, no matter what had happened, no matter what he said in anger. It boiled down to him not understanding, not being able to see things from my perspective. I couldn’t fault him for that. Not everybody can put themselves in the shoes of another to see it from their point of view. My gift was also my curse. 

It seemed like that bigger picture was finally revealing itself though, and the best was yet to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you're wondering about the title of this chapter, it really just refers to the number of orgasms. That is all ;)


	4. Sufficient Awkwardness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A night out in Stockholm leads to an unexpected reunion, followed by revelations and a game of Marry, Fuck, or Kill.

A few months later, I found myself with him in Sweden. The band was between tours, so we were able to spend plenty of time together. He had already revealed our relationship to his ex-wife; I was grateful that I hadn’t been there for that. By the sound of it, it was a pretty rocky conversation. But in the end, she was accepting of it, wishing us well. And if I was going to be around, she wanted the kids to have a good relationship with me. I had already grown very fond of them, as they had of me, and she was aware of and appreciative of that. She knew I had everybody’s best interests at heart and didn’t want to cause any issues; I knew my place, that she would always be their mother. And in time, she and I were able to enter a new phase of our friendship, with the three of us having a united front in regards to the twins. 

T had planned a trip to Stockholm for him and me. So one day, we took the train from Linkoping to Stockholm. I gave him a hard time about opting for the train versus a flight.

He laughed. “What’s wrong with the train…?” 

“A plane would’ve been quicker, T.”

“But don’t you think that this is more of a ‘normal person’ kind of thing? I like doing things like this with you. Besides, it’s not the destination; it’s the journey. And who you take it with…” 

I couldn’t argue with that, and he saw the concession in my eyes. He leaned in for a kiss, and our lips met. 

“So, what do you have up your sleeves, Mr. Forge?” 

He smirks and raises his eyebrows with a twinkle in his green eyes. He was never not adorable. 

“Oh, you’ll see…” 

“No sneak previews…?”

He shook his head. 

“No clues…?” 

He shook his head again. “You’re just going to have to wait and see. Patience…” he kissed my nose and looked into my eyes with his forehead resting on mine. “…my young grasshopper.” 

I had to laugh. He could be such a dork sometimes. But again, he was never not adorable. 

“You’re killing me, T…! You know patience isn’t one of my best virtues.” 

For the big picture stuff, I was patient as fuck. For stuff like this, patience went out the window. He found that contradiction hilarious and endearing, luckily for me. 

Our first night in Stockholm, he took me to one of his favorite bars, a place he had taken me to before during a previous trip to Sweden’s capital city. We sat at the bar and carried on for hours, chatting, drinking, laughing. We paid no real attention to those around us, nor them to us. But then he suddenly grew silent. 

“Hey…what’s wrong…?” I asked as my eyes tried to follow his across the bar. And then I saw what was wrong: Marvin was standing on the other side of the bar from us, looking our way. And he was standing with his brother Arvid, who was also looking our way. Fuck. Double fuck. 

As if Martin wasn’t bad enough, we soon spotted Simon standing behind them. Triple fuck.

Arvid and Martin looked at each other, and Arvid said something to his brother that I couldn’t make out over the multitude of conversations going on in the bar. And then they started to make their way towards us. 

“I suppose it’s too late for us to make a run for it…?” I joked as I put my hand on his arm. 

“I guess this was bound to happen eventually. Let’s get it over with.” 

Arvid had taken the lead, and he was walking towards me. We had always had a good relationship, but hadn’t spoken since the fall-out with Martin. I hopped off my barstool in time for him to give me a hug. 

“It’s so good to see you! How have you been…?” 

I smiled at him and nodded. “Good to see you too, Vid.” My nickname for him. He had to smile. “I’m doing well. How about yourself?” 

“Excellent! We’re in town for a show tomorrow night. We’re performing at a club down the street.” 

Once Martin's time with Ghost ended, he and Arvid had restarted Magna Carta Cartel. I had loosely followed them over the past year or so on Instagram; I knew they were doing shows, and I was happy for them. But I had no idea they were going to be in Stockholm. Nor did T. 

Arvid nodded to Tobias, and he did the same. “Arvid…”

“Tobias.” 

T stuck his hand out, which the other man took in his. “This is quite unexpected, but it’s good to see you.” 

Arvid nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it’s been a long time. So, are you two, like, together now…?”, gesturing between me and T. 

T and I laugh and look at each other, and then shrug. I nodded to confirm. 

“Wow! Congrats. That’s awesome. About damn time.” 

The three of us laugh. T raises his eyebrows and nods. “You’re telling me…!” 

Martin was still standing silently behind his brother, but that changed when he mumbled something to Arvid about needing a drink and then walked away from our trio with Simon, who hadn’t even said a word. 

I contort my face into a grimace. “Well, that was sufficiently awkward…”

T and Vid couldn’t help but laugh. 

“How’s Martin doing, Vid?” 

Arvid shrugs and ponders his answer. “He’s…alright. Has his good days. Has his bad days. He knows he fucked up.” 

He didn’t need to continue. I just silently nodded. 

“And this…” Vid gestures towards me and T. “…will just serve as a reminder of how badly he fucked shit up.” 

I scanned the room and caught sight of Martin down a few seats from us, Simon next to him. Far enough to give Martin the space he needed to digest this development. He had already knocked back a couple of shots. 

Tobias took notice as well. “Is he going to be alright, Arvid?” 

Arvid shrugged without a response as the three of us watched his brother. 

“Are you guys going to be in town tomorrow night?”

Tobias nodded. “Yeah, we’ll be here for a few days.” 

That was news to me. I still had no idea what the plan was. I silently appreciated the fact that I was a chronic over-packer and had brought plenty of clothes with me on this little trip. 

“Well, if you don’t have anything going on tomorrow night, you should come to the show. It would be great to have you both there. I know this hasn’t been awkward enough already…” he trailed off with a bit of a smirk, to which T and I laughed. 

“We do have plans tomorrow night, but we’ll try to make it over to catch a few songs or something.” He looks at me. “You okay with that?” 

I nodded. “Of course! That would be awesome!” 

Arvid smiles. “Excellent! I’ll have a couple of tickets left at will-call for you then. And if you can’t make it, it’s alright. Don’t worry about it…” 

Tobias reaches out and puts his hand on Arvid’s shoulder with a smile. “We’ll be there, Arvid.” 

Arvid gives us both a quick hug before walking away, joining Simon and Martin, who was now nursing a pint of beer. 

We resumed our previous positions on the barstools behind us. 

T looked at me like he wanted to ask me something, but didn’t know how to say it. 

“You heard about the threesomes I had with them, didn’t you?” 

He throws his head back and laughs, smacking his hand on his thigh. “So it DID happen…?” 

I raised my eyebrows and nodded. “Affirmative.”

“Wow! You know, I had heard rumors, but nobody would confirm. So like, you, Martin, and Simon…?” 

I bit my lip and tried to look innocent, failing immediately. 

“No way…you, Martin, and Arvid…AND you, Martin, and Simon…?” 

I shrug and nod. “Mmmm-hmmm.” 

“Like, how many times…?” 

I didn’t know. I hadn’t counted. It was something that had just kind-of happened, and then it just kind-of kept happening. 

I shrugged. “Let’s just say, I am very well-acquainted with Arvid and Simon…” 

“So, you’ve fucked Omega, Arvid, Alpha, and of course, whatever incarnation I decide to take…” 

“Technically, I’ve only fucked the Cardinal, T.” 

“Okay, fair enough. Anybody else I should know about…?” 

“No…I’m not a total groupie. It was never my intention to become so intimate with any of your bandmates or friends. I mean, you, yeah…I wanted that. But them? No. That was unplanned.” 

“So, you’d be open to a threesome, if I ever wanted one?”

I pondered his inquiry for a moment before nodding. “Sure, but it would depend on the third party, of course.” 

“Oh, of course, of course.” 

“But yeah, I’d be game.”

“Good to know. I’ll keep that in my back pocket.”

“You do that...,” I said with a wink. 

He leans over and kisses me. 

“Before we cross that bridge, I have plenty of other plans for you, my ghuleh.” His voice morphed into character as the sentence progressed. 

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Do I have a date with one of your alter egos tomorrow night? Is that what you have planned?” 

He shook his finger at me, tsk-tsking me, before continuing in character. “All in good time, all in good time. The best things come to those who wait…”

I rolled my eyes at him. “What am I going to do with you?” 

He laughs and breaks character. “Oh, you know you love it!” 

I gave it a thought, and had to agree. He was right. He had me there. I was fascinated by all of it, and he loved that I was such a fan of the fruits of his labor. 

“I think you’ll enjoy what I have in store for you, min älskling.” 

He whispered some sweet nothings in my ear, but I had no idea what he was saying; it was all in his native tongue. It sounded good, nonetheless. 

“Should we get out of here…?” 

I nod. “Let’s go.” 

We had already settled our tab, so we hopped off the stools, and started walking towards the door, passing by Arvid and Martin on our way. We didn’t stop, but T patted Martin on the back to acknowledge him since no words were exchanged earlier. Martin didn’t do anything in response, but I did see him watch us as we left, and I swear I saw him nod his head slightly at me. 

Back at the hotel, we settled in for the night. We decided to watch one of my beloved Marvel movies, of which he had grown accustomed to over the years. He hadn’t originally been a fan, but grew to appreciate them when he started trying to watch them through my eyes. We were curled up together on the sofa in front of the TV, watching the movie. 

“Alright…marry, fuck, or kill: me, Chris Evans, and Ryan Reynolds.” 

Fuck. He pulled out the big guns right away, and he knew it. I looked at him in horror.

“Babe, you know I can’t answer that one!” 

He laughed. 

“You couldn’t start with an easier one…?”

He couldn’t stop laughing. “Come on…I’m waiting…!” 

I just shook my head. “No…NO! Tobias Forge, you know I love you, but goddamn it…!” 

He howls. “Oh. My. God. You’d fucking kill me, wouldn’t you???” 

I tried to look sympathetic, but failed miserably. “Sorry, not sorry. You know they’re my dream threesome.” 

He nods at that recollection. We had goofy conversations like this all the time. “With me watching.” 

I smile and wiggle my eyebrows at him. “You got it, love!” 

“So, who would you marry, and who would you fuck…?” 

“Oh, come on…don’t be silly…!”

The answer, of course, was that I’d fuck Ryan Reynolds, and I’d marry Chris Evans. He knew that. 

“I see how I rank…getting killed off by my own girlfriend so she could fuck Deadpool and marry fucking Captain America!” 

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ve got it!” 

He laughed and pulled me in closer to him, not that we could’ve been much closer as we were already quite close. “Regardless of that unfavorable outcome for me, I still love the hell out of you.” 

He kisses me, and then continues. “And I promise to never hold it against you.” Such a tease. 

I played along, wrapping my arms around him. “Well, thank you for understanding, good sir. May I show you my appreciation…?” 

I straddled him as he reached for the remote, turning the TV off. No need for that; it would only be background noise.


	5. Your Room, or Mine?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The devil grants a "get-out-of-hell-free" card to an old friend.

The plan for the next evening was for us to get dressed up to the nines, and go out for dinner. He had selected a gorgeous deep purple evening gown for me from the hotel boutique. A-line silhouette with a high leg slit, sleeveless V-neck with a deep plunge, all in chiffon. A master of details, he had booked me an appointment to have my hair and make-up done at the hotel salon. He sent me on my way so he could make his final preparations for the evening. When I returned, he wasn’t in the room. He had, however, left me a note telling me to meet him in the private dining area of the restaurant on the first floor. I changed into my dress, being careful not to mess up my hair, which was in a simple but elegant up-do with a few loose strands in the front, or my make-up. I slipped into my heels, which matched the color of my dress, and took a final look in the mirror. I cleaned up pretty nicely, and I was sure he would approve. This was all his vision for the night, after all. I was just along for the ride. 

I left our hotel room and made my way to the elevator, pressing the “1” button as the doors closed. A few moments later, the doors parted, and I exited, setting my sights on my destination. I was immediately escorted by the hostess to the private dining room. She smirked at me. “Your gentleman awaits you.” 

I hesitated as she reached for the door. “Should I be worried?” 

She laughs and shakes her head with a smile. “I wish I could tell my friends about this. We’re all fans.” 

I knew exactly what she was talking about. “He made you sign a non-disclosure agreement, didn’t he?” 

“Ja, we all had to, and you’ll see why. Have fun.” She squeezed my arm a bit, then opened the door for me. 

“Thank you…” I said as I stepped through the door, it closing behind me. I looked around the room. The decadent chandeliers were dimmed, the room illuminated mostly by candlelight. I made note to myself where the exits were in case candles were knocked over during the course of the evening. I hoped they had a good sprinkler system, and even better insurance. I laughed silently at my ridiculous thoughts, and that’s when he walked in the room. I put my hands over my mouth and let out a little squeal. 

It was fucking Papa Emeritus III, dressed in his black and white suit…you know the one. 

“Hello, my ghuleh! So glad you could join me this evening!” He held out his arms as he walked towards me, wrapping them around me once he stood in front of me. 

“Oh my goodness, Tobias…you have outd-“

He pulls away and grabs my arms. “Who is this Tobias you speak of? I do not believe I have met his acquaintance before…” 

Full character, down to the accent and the mismatched eyes. And he expected me to play along. Interesting. Let’s see where this night takes us. 

“Oh, he’s just this guy I’m seeing. Surely we can keep this evening between the two of us, I trust?” 

“Of course, my beautiful ghuleh. Your Papa would never kiss and tell…” He takes my hand and bows as he kisses it. 

Presumptuous, wasn’t he? 

“Papa, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. I was so worried about you…” 

“Yes, yes. I’m so sorry it’s been so long, my dearest, and I’m so sorry to have caused you any concern. But do not worry, my pet. Nothing a little reincarnation couldn’t fix.” 

This guy. He’s killing me! 

I laughed. “Oh, so you’re the 2.0 version of Papa III…? A new and improved model…?” 

He knew I was fucking with him. I saw his mouth twitch through his mask as he tried and nearly failed to stifle a smile. “Ah, my darling ghuleh, your Papa is already like the finest of wines, for which there is no room for improvement.” He winked at me. “Now, how about you give your Papa a kiss…?” 

I smirk as my lips meet the latex lips of his mask, which weren’t entirely unpleasant, and were surprisingly functional. 

“So, Papa...what do you have planned for us this evening…?” 

“Well, my lovely, we shall eat fine food and drink fine wine, and I shall do my best to woo you on the dance floor, before we make a most difficult decision at the end of the night: your room, or mine.” 

I threw my head back with a laugh. Wait…what? Did he really have another room here at the hotel…? 

“You are something else, Papa.” 

“Yes, yes, my ghuleh. You are as well. And I must say that you are a vision this evening. Bellissimo!” 

He kisses me again, and then continues. “I will have you know that my intentions towards you are entirely dishonorable, driven by lust and the desire to fornicate with you until the wee hours of the morning.” 

I winked and smiled. “I should expect nothing less out of you, Papa.” 

A waiter entered the room with a cart carrying our food, setting the plates on the table, and then exiting silently. Papa escorted me to the table, pulling out my chair and motioning for me to sit. I obliged, and he pushed my chair in for me. Such a gentleman! 

He sat across from me, and poured two glasses of wine. We chatted as we ate our dinner. He told me what he had been up to since his untimely “death”: a lovely little trip to hell, with nightly orgies and all-you-can-eat ice cream. 

“Will you be able to stay for awhile, Papa?” 

“Unfortunately not, my beautiful ghuleh. For the Clergy would never approve of that; my place is now in hell while the good Cardinal continues our mission in this realm.” 

Our evening continued, true to his word; the food and wine were followed by dancing, and I experienced those sinful hips up close and personal while he whispered in my ear all the wicked things he wanted to do to me still tonight. And then the question was finally asked: “My room, or yours?” 

I opted for his room, because this I HAD to see. Did he really get another room for the night? 

I quickly found out that yes, yes, he had, and it was the fucking suite. He had truly pulled out all the stops! 

As soon as the door closed, he was on me, and my dress was quickly on the floor, along with my bra and panties. He removed his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt while he kicked his shoes off, but did not otherwise undress. He lay on the bed, and instructed me to join him. 

“Now, my precious ghuleh, how about you sit on your Papa’s face and let me taste your sweet nectar?” 

T loved to go down on me, and he was fantastic at it, but we had never done this before. Had he been reserving it for these special dates? 

He guided me as I straddled his face, a thigh on each side of his head. I looked down at him, and the last thing he said was, “Mmmmmm, dessert…” 

He worked his magical tongue and fingers, quickly bringing me to an orgasm. I rode out the waves as he continued to lap at my wet pussy. I shifted to move, but he wrapped his arms around my thighs, holding me in place so he could continue to torture my over-sensitive lady bits. He was like a man possessed with how he was rubbing my clit, fucking me with his tongue, and then with his fingers, all the while savoring my “sweet nectar”, as he had referred to it. Two more orgasms later, he decided it was time to fuck the living hell out of me, every which way but loose. On my hands and knees, him behind me. Me on my back, him on top of me. Me on my back with my legs on his shoulders. On our sides with him fucking me from behind like a naughty big spoon. Me on top, facing him. Me on top, not facing him. I lost track of how many orgasms he had given me, and I was quite certain he had elicited a whole new response from my body in the form of squirting. I had also lost track of how many times he had came in me, and he took great pleasure in watching it ooze back out. I wondered to myself if a preternatural being like him could suffer from dehydration…? 

We lay next to each other, trying to catch our breaths after hours of fucking. 

“Ah, my ghuleh…that was delightful, and I shall remember our time together always.” 

“Mmmmm, me too, Papa…” 

“I believe you had a previous engagement this evening…?” 

I had almost forgotten about going to see Arvid and Martin perform. He obviously did not, and my heart swelled with love for the man next to me. 

“And I regret that I must return to my infernal residence. If I take my leave soon, I am quite certain I will still be able to catch tonight’s ice cream. The flavor of the day is sweet cream, though none will ever be as sweet as yours…” 

Oh, he was devious. We both dressed, and he walked me to the door. 

“Will I see you again, Papa?” 

“My sweetest ghuleh, I am always with you. And if you wish to see me again, I have no doubt that our dark lord will grant me a pass to spend another evening with you, my delectable temptress.” 

He gave me one last kiss before I left his room and headed back to the room I shared with T. A few minutes later, I’m back in our room, and who should I find sitting in front of the TV, waiting for me? And not only that, he was dressed and ready to go. How in the holy hell did he do that…? 

“What the…?”

“Where have you been…? I’ve been waiting for you.” 

“…” 

“…”

“I, uh…had a date with an old friend. I hope you don’t mind.” 

“You look like you had quite the evening, min älskling.”

“…you could say that…” 

“I have to say, that you look amazing though. Who knew my girlfriend was such a knockout?” 

He whistles in appreciation. I rolled my eyes. 

“Come on…get ready. I wouldn’t think you’re planning to wear that to see the guys…”

He already had an outfit waiting for me on the bed. I went into the bathroom, freshened up a bit, and then emerged to get dressed. My body ached and I was already having trouble walking from all that fucking. Tobias noticed my occasional winces, and he pointed with a wink at a glass of water and pain relievers on the nightstand for me. He really had covered all the bases for my crazy evening with Papa. 

I tossed them in my mouth and took a swig to chase them down, and then we left for the club.


	6. Fucking Martin. And Simon. And Arvid.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A feud ends, shenanigans are had, and friendships are rekindled.

The tickets were at will-call as Vid had said they would be, and they were for the VIP area. We made our way upstairs and watched the already-in-progress show, noticing that Simon was also onstage. It was good to see Alpha and Omega performing together again. At some point, Arvid had texted T to let him know they’d be coming up to the VIP area after the show, if we wanted to stay and hang out with them for a bit. We decided that we would, and about 15 minutes after the show ended, Simon, Vid, and Martin joined us. 

The night was a blur, and I honestly don’t know what happened. Much alcohol was consumed. Hatchets were buried. Apologies were drunkenly exchanged. And when I woke up the next morning with a headache bigger than Sweden itself, I realized that T wasn’t in bed with me. Simon and Martin were, however, and we were all naked. What in the actual fuck…? 

I look around the room and see Arvid, naked on the sofa, and T lounging in a chair in the corner, not far from the bed, his clothes still mostly intact. 

He noticed that I was awake, and he gave me a smirk. “Good morning…”

Not wanting to wake Simon, Vid, or Martin up, I mouthed to him, “How?” as I gestured to the naked men around me.

He motioned for me to join him. I carefully extricated myself from the various limbs that were entangled with mine, throwing on a t-shirt I found on the floor as I walked over. One whiff of the shirt’s scent told me that it was Martin’s. Fucking Martin. And bloody hell, did he still smell good. 

I sat on T’s lap, and he wrapped his arms around me. 

“That was quite the night…” 

“…what happened…?” 

“Well, you kind-of got fucked by your ex-boyfriend and his brother, then by your ex-boyfriend and our ex-bandmate. And I might have watched from over here…” 

“…how did this happen…?” 

“Well, the best that I can make out is that we all obviously had way too much to drink. I recall at some point that one of us brought up the threesomes you used to have with Simon, Arvid, and Martin, and I must have expressed interest in watching. And from there, we took it back here and made it happen.”

I sat in shock for a minute or two, trying to digest what had transpired. 

“Are you okay…?” 

I slowly nodded. “Yeah…I think so. Are…are we okay?” 

“Oh…totally. Nothing to worry about. We all instigated this. It was probably against our better judgment, but even so, it was fucking hot watching them fuck you like that…!” 

I still couldn’t believe what happened, but was grateful that he was cool with it. 

He patted my thigh. “Let’s go hop in the shower and get you cleaned up, dirty girl.” 

I stood up, and he followed. T took my hand, and we walked into the bathroom. He started the shower, and got undressed, finally removing Martin’s t-shirt from my body. We stepped into the shower and let the water wash away the previous night. Once we were sufficiently clean, we enjoyed a nice leisurely fuck in the shower, just the two of us. I was certainly hurting from the previous night’s activities, first with Papa, and then with Simon, Martin, and Vid, but T was as gentle as he could’ve been, while still making me have a couple orgasms. It must’ve been his unspoken way of reminding me who my pussy belonged to…not that I needed the reminder. 

We washed up again after that, and found we had an audience from the bathroom door. The sounds of us fucking in the shower had awoken Vid, who got up to watch, but not before he woke his brother and Simon up so they could watch too. The fucking men in my life. Bloody hell! 

We got out of the shower with Vid tossing us a couple of towels, and they all gave us a round of applause for the show. T bowed. I gave them a curtsy. We all laughed. 

The five of us got dressed, and the decision was made to go out for some breakfast at a nearby café. 

We sat around the table, talking and laughing as we ate an assortment of waffles, eggs, and breakfast meats. It reminded me of the good old days, before Simon and Martin left the band, before the lawsuit. We had had plenty of mornings like this, and I think we were all really feeling it. 

“So, boys…what’s next?” 

They all exchange looks, and collectively shrug. 

Martin was the first to speak. “Well, I think there are things to be worked out amongst ourselves, and we’ll go from there. Speaking solely for myself, I feel like last night was a cathartic experience…”

T, Simon, and Vid nodded in agreement, but I needed clarification. “What part of last night, Martin…?” 

They all laughed. 

Vid was the next to speak. “I think he meant the whole night in general, up to and including us tag-teaming you with your boyfriend watching…!”

They shared another laugh. I could only roll my eyes. 

T sat forward and rested his elbows on the table, looking at me and his newfound friends. 

“We obviously have a lot to work out. I hate that things got as out of hand as they did; we all got hurt along the way in some way, shape, or form. Including you…” he said as he took my hand in his. 

Martin shifted in his seat, and then he furrowed his eyebrows. “Okay, I have to ask…” 

I already knew what he was going to ask, and I’m pretty sure T did as well. 

“Were you two really not fucking when we were together…?” 

The question was directed at me, but both Tobias and I shook our heads. I was the one to respond though.

“No…that didn’t happen until much, much later.” 

Martin wasn’t completely sold. “Like, when…?” 

“Just a few months ago,” Tobias said. 

“For real…?” 

T and I nodded. 

Martin whistled under his breath and shook his head. “I was so sure that you were, and it drove me crazy that neither of you would admit it.” 

He didn’t need to know about that night in Chicago. Nothing was consummated, but we came damn close. 

“We did have feelings for each other though. We just couldn’t admit it to each other, first of all, because it was more than either of us could deal with. I couldn’t betray my then-wife, and neither of us wanted to hurt you, Martin. And second, we couldn’t admit it to anybody else because that would’ve made it real, and it would’ve forced us to deal with something that we weren’t ready to at the time.” 

Martin took it in, and then slowly nodded. “I think I finally get it. Thank you for that.” 

Tobias patted him on the shoulder. “Of course. It was a long overdue explanation, but I don’t think either of us could’ve articulated it back when we were still in the middle of it all.” 

It was a lovely moment, but things were starting to get too heavy. I clapped my hands together with a twinkle in my eyes. 

“Guess who I saw last night…?” 

Martin, Simon, and Vid looked at each other, confused. T laughed and put his face in his hands. 

Simon was the one to bite. “Okay, I’m afraid to ask, but who did you see…? Especially since you’re obviously not talking about us.” 

“Well, I had a date with the one and the only…Papa. Emeritus. III.” 

They again looked at each other, and then over at the man behind the many masks, who was still laughing. 

“Did the devil give III a “get out of hell for a night” card or something…?” Martin wondered out loud. 

T threw his head back. “YES! That’s exactly what happened…!” 

We all couldn’t help but laugh. Martin and Simon raised their eyebrows at each other, seemingly both having the same idea. 

Martin looked at me and T. “Do you think he could get another one of those cards so Omega and Alpha could join in on the fun next time…?” 

Tobias didn’t even have to look at me to know that I looked like a kid on Christmas morning, but he looked anyway. He smiled, and then looked back at Martin, winking. 

“I think that can be arranged…”

**Author's Note:**

> Please pardon all the swearing, and the "Fucking Marvin"'s. I love Marvin, but it just really amused me to keep saying "Fucking Marvin". It appears in various chapters.


End file.
